Dissimilarity in Placental Vascular Development between Nulliparous and Multiparous Women

Activity: Talk or presentation types › Poster presentation

Description

Nulliparity is associated with a higher risk of developing preeclampsia and lower birth weight of the new-borns. The possible explanation for that is the differences in the placental development in the first pregnancy compared to the subsequent pregnancies. In this study we have hypothesized that this difference underlies in the placental vascular development and can be revealed with a help of 3D Doppler ultrasound examination.. In the present study we enrolled 76 nulliparous and 104 multiparous healthy women who attended our clinic for the first trimester screening. Using the 3D VOCAL software, we measured placental volume (PV), vascular (VI), flow (FI) and vascularization flow indexes (VFI) in the first and second trimester. The placental quotient (PQ) (PV (cm3)/CRL (cm)) was calculated to adjust to the placental volume increasing with gestational age. . Both study groups were demographically comparable except for the age. In the first trimester FI was significantly lower in nulliparas than in the women with a previous vaginal delivery (p = 0.01), however, this vascularity difference disappeared in the second trimester. No differences in other vascular indexes (VI, VFI), PV and PQ were found. . In this study, FI was significantly lower in nulliparas in the first trimester, but not in the second trimester. This finding reflects reduced placental blood flow intensity in the first trimester in primiparous women and supports the concept that placental vascular development differs in the first pregnancy compared to the subsequent pregnancies. This transient difference provides information for better understanding of placental development, especially taking in account that previous research had found that reduced FI is associated with a higher risk of foetal growth restriction. Moreover, this finding illustrates that 3D Doppler ultrasound examination in the first trimester is a useful tool for the investigation of placental development for different obstetrical risk groups.
Period29 Mar 2023
Event titleRSU International Research Conference 2023: Knowledge for Use in Practice
Event typeConference
OrganiserRīga Stradiņš University
LocationRiga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

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